Brushes for an automatic egg cleaning machine



June 17, 1969 L. J. BUTTERWORTH 3,449,779

BRUSHES FOR AN AUTOMATIC EGG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet of 2 1 VENTOR [ME r]: dffMf/l June 1959 L. J. BUTTERWORTH 3,449,779

BRUSHES FOR AN AUTOMATIC EGG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet 2 Of 2 INVENTOR. A 715 ff dUZ-fik/dff/l A r ram/6) United States Patent 3,449,779 BRUSHES FOR AN AUTOMATIC EGG CLEANING MACHINE Lyle J. Butterworth, Tacoma, Wash., assignor to Dawson and Co., Inc., Tacoma, Wash., a corporation of Washington Filed Oct. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 674,319 Int. Cl. A01k 43/00 US. Cl. 15-3.16 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Brushes of an automatic egg cleaning machine are composed of metallic and non-metallic bristles to be more effective in cleaning eggs, as eggs, while being rotated naturally, are conveyed past these counter rotating composite grouping of bristles in cleaning brushes. Individual brushes are arranged in opposite pairs on spaced substantially parallel and longitudinal axial mountings that are located above, substantially parallel to, and on respective sides of an egg conveyor. Each individual brush is composed first of a continuous strip of a composite grouping of bristles which is thereafter spirally wound about and secured to a longitudinal shaft to acquire a cylindrical appearing over- 1 all individual brush configuration.

Reference application Reference is made to application Ser. No. 674,318, filed Oct. 10, 1967 entitled, Automatic Machine for Candling, Cleaning, Sanitizing and Grading of Eggs; the inventors being, Lyle J. Butterworth, Larry D. Hiegel and Donald G. Scheffer.

Background In US. Patent 2,714,786, Clyde C. Powell described and illustrated his automatic egg cleaning machine. With respect to egg shell surface cleaning, Powell used numerous flexible abrasive loops arranged in a cylindrical configuration in a machine environment which resembles that shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of this application. The improvement of this invention comprises the use of multiple bristle cleaning brushes in lieu of such abrasive loop cleaning materials. This is done to acquire aggressive hard cleaning capabilities for a longer operating period by using metallic bristles and to maintain thorough, less severe, but comprehensive cleaning capabilities by simultaneously using nonmetallic bristles.

Drawings A preferred embodiment of this composite grouping of bristles in cleaning brushes arranged in cooperating ro tatable pairs, in an overall machine environment, wherein eggs are fully processed, is illustrated in the referenced application Ser. No. 674,318 and also in accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view with portions broken away, for illustrative purposes, of an egg receiving, candling, cleaning, sanitizing, drying and grading machine, conveying eggs from right to left;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, with covers removed, of essentially only egg cleaning equipment utilized in the egg processing machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken in a direction indicated by line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, illustrating relative positions of a cooperating pair of composite cleaning brushes; an egg rotatively passing by on a conveyor while in contact with brushes; and a liquid distributing line p0- sitioned above eggs at a tangent location of a pair of cooperating counter rotating brushes;

FIGURE 4 is a partial longitudinal sectional view,

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taken in a direction indicated by line 44 of FIGURE 2, illustrating how an end of a composite brush is arranged on a driven central shaft which in turn is mounted in a bearing supported by machine framing;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of a starting, longitudinal and planar arrangement of composite bristles with some portions removed and also darker lineations indicating metallic bristle members in contrast to lighter lineations indicating non-metallic bristle members;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of planar arrangement of composite bristles taken along line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross section through a portion of a cylindrical brush indicating, by light and dark contrasts, a typical cross sectional appearance of respec tive metallic and non-metallic bristles which effectively clean outer egg shell surfaces; and

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view with portions broken away to illustrate how an original planar arrangement of bristles is spirally arranged for receiving a driven shaft.

Machine environment The preferred embodiment of paired longitudinally arranged counter rotating brushes 20 made of these compositely positioned bristles is illustrated in FIGURE 1, in combination with a machine 22 which receives eggs 24 on a loader 26 and thereafter conveys them through a candling inspector 28, brush 20 and liquid cleaner 30, detergent and chemical sanitizer units 32, a dryer 34 with exhaust fans 35, and a grader 36 coupled with a collector 38 prior to packaging. Some of these facilities and/or functions are effective during the same conveyor travel, such as washing and brushing functions occurring together.

Some of the items of equipment shown in FIGURE 1 and also in FIGURE 2 to aid in understanding this machine environment are the following; electrical controls in panel 40 to provide power distribution to motors 44 driving the brushes 20 and to motors driving conveyor 48; and an automatic control valve 41 which shuts off all cleaning liquid flows when machine 22 is stopped for any reason as electrical power is cut off.

In FIGURE 2 an arrangement of two pairs of a preferred embodiment of brushes 20, is shown wherein opposite brushes 20 are being counter rotated as their mounting shafts 42 are driven by respective motors utilizing belt drives 46. A conveyor 48 composed of units of spaced links 50, each link unit 50 having upstanding pushing arms 52, receives, spaces and guides eggs 24 shown in FIGURE 3, from a loading station 26 throughout brushing stations along a pathway located below tangent contacts of the brushes 20, emerging with the eggs 24 cleaned, sanitized and dried. These eggs 24 are soon automatically graded by weight and quickly removed from the conveyor 48 and guided into respective holding trays 38 of like graded eggs 24 awaiting packaging.

In FIGURE 3, an egg 24 is shown moving through these paired counter rotating cleaning brushes 20 over which a liquid spray 56 is being ejected from a conduit 30 located above. During such conveyor movement, each egg 24 rotates about its natural longest axis which, by conveyor action, is arranged transverse to the motion axis of the conveyor 48. Such rotation of each egg 24 occurs because portions of each egg 24 extend outwardly between the links 50 to contact other conveyor portions 58 between which there is a relative speed differential, such as the side rails 58 of the conveyor supporting frame 60.

In FIGURE 4, an end mounting of a powered brush 20 of compositely arranged bristles is illustrated. A drive belt 46 and its pulley wheel 64, which is secured to an extension 66 of a brush shaft 42, are positioned outside of framing 68 of the cleaning station of the overall machine 22. A bearing 72 positioned on shaft extension is fitted to a frame recess and clampa'ble drop in keepers 74 are lowered down into frame slot to hold bearing 72 and its shaft 42 in place. This frame slot keeper construction is readily used to install and to lift out the entire brush shaft assemblies 76. Also shown in this FIGURE 4 is a shaft encompassing clamp 80 which securely receives a brush end 82 positioning the brush terminus on shaft 42 near by bearing 72.

In this environment, these cylindrical brush assemblies 76 are each rotating about an axis which is substantially parallel to conveyor 48 transporting eggs 24. Therefore these brushes 20 are cleaning by applying their bristles in motion at substantially right angles to egg surfaces being cleaned. Where eggs 24 arriving from farm yards and hen houses are covered with significant deposits, which at least in part are strongly adhering to egg shell surfaces, brushes 20 have a demanding job of removing all such deposits. Therefore, the brushes 20 of this invention are installed to effectively clean eggs 24 without, however, crushing or cracking the eggs.

Brushes with metallic and non-metallic bristles 'In the machine environment 22, the brushes 20 of this invention are made as illustrated in FIGURES 5 through 8. In FIGURE 4, a final assembly and securement of the brush 20 at one end to its shaft 42 and consequently within machine 22 is illustrated and same construction is followed throughout the machine 22.

As illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, the bristles of mettallic 86 and non-metallic 88 materials are arranged adjacent to one another and secured along their individual ends within the flexible webbing 90. More particularly, the comparative respective usage of different bristles 86, 88 is indicated in FIGURE 5 by employing contrasting shading lines.

After manufacture of a long strip of bristles 86, 88, a selected length is wound about a mandrel or a shaft 42 as indicated in FIGURE 8. The final attachment occurs at each end by clamp 80 as shown in FIGURE 4.

A specific brush design The brushes 20 selected for the environment illustrated are composed of eighty percent (80%) nylon bristles 88 having a diameter of .018 inch, and twenty percent (20%) stainless steel wire bristles 86 having a diameter of five ten thousandths of an inch (.005). The length of each bristle is essentially 5 /2 inches long with inch included within the webbing 90 of /2 inch in depth. Such an arrangement wound on a '%a" diameter steel shaft 42 results in a major overall brush diameter of 5%" and a total active length of brush bristles along the shaft of 44".

Alternative brush designs A selective range of these ratios of metallic 86 to nonmetallic 88 bristles in this embodiment and in others could be varied within limitations. For example such ratios could be 60%40%; 65%-35% and/or 75 %-25%. However, the ratio of 80%-20% is considered best for all around performance.

As indicated previously there are preferred groupings of bristles and for these 5%" diameter brushes the following are considered satisfactory:

A mixture or grouping of 80% /20%, respectively, of .018 nylon and .005 crimped stainless steel wire;

A mixture or grouping of 80%/20% respectively of .018 nylon and .005 level stainless steel wire;

A mixture or grouping of 80% /20% respectively of .018 nylon and .006 crimped stainless steel wire; and

A mixture or grouping of 80%/20% respectively of .018 nylon and .006 level stainless steel wire.

In general, increasing metallic bristles 86 increases the probability of egg shell breakage. Also the outside diameter of the brush 20 is to be considered in selecting the metallic bristle 86 diameter. Where the overall brush diameter is 5%", the .005" diameter stainless steel wire bristle has the right flexibility to do the job of cleaning egg surfaces very well. If an .008" diameter metallic bristle were to be used at this same brush diameter some bristles would be too strong and not flexible enough. Yet at a larger brush diameter, an .008" diameter non-metallic bristle would be found to be the best.

If other metals were to be used, consideration again must be given to finding the best diameter metallic bristle in keeping with cleaning objectives, no breakage of either shell or bristles and overall cost factors. If stainless steel were not used, coated metallic bristles are recommended in view of food processing requirements.

Summary In egg cleaning machines 22, brushes 20 "are composed of metallic 86 and non-metallic 88 bristles to remove soiled matter from egg surfaces more effectively without breaking through such egg surfaces. Such composition of bristles is selectively derived from important observations and forecasts based on: overall brush diameters and their environment; brush bristle materials to be used; diameters of such bristle materials; and, ratios of non-metallic to metallic bristle. Also in installing brushes 20, the advancing rotative direction of the strip winding of bristles 86, 88, i.e. left hand or right 'hand, is selectively utilized to assist and to assure uniform movement of eggs by the brushes and through the cleaner.

I claim:

1. A brush for cleaning shell surfaces of eggs, comprising a composite grouping of substantially twenty percent stainless steel bristles, each having a diameter of .005 inch in diameter, and of substantially eighty percent nylon bristles, each having a diameter of .018 inch in diameter.

2. Pairs of cylindrical brushes counter rotatable against shell surfaces of eggs to be passed by the brushes in a direction parallel to the axes of the brushes, each brush being composed of a grouping of substantially twenty percent stainless steel bristles, each having a diameter of .005 inch, and substantially eighty percent nylon bristles, each having a diameter of .018 inch.

3. In combination with an automatic egg cleaning machine which moves eggs on a conveyor rotating them about their own axes, brushes counter rotatable against shell surfaces of eggs wherein bristles of these brushes are arranged in a homogeneous mixture of substantially twenty percent stainless steel bristles, each having a specified diameter of .005 inch, and substantially eighty percent nylon bristles, each having a specified diameter of .018 inch.

4. In the combination, as claimed in claim 3, the said brushes having an overall brush diameter of substantially five and one quarter inches resulting in the metallic bristles being of sufficient length to undergo adequate fiexure during the egg cleaning operations.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,657,126 1/1928 Kasser 153.2 1,979,240 11/ 1934 Adelmann. 2,879,534 3/1959 Swanson et al. 15-179 3,186,019 6/ 1965 Hattori. 3,307,213 3/1967 Schofield. 3,380,098 4/1968 Nelson 15179 FOREIGN PATENTS 775,039 5/ 1957 Great Britain.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.. 

